The Academy of Country Music Awards are, of course, all about country music, and excitement was at peak level when the King of Country Music himself,George Strait, took the stage at Sunday's (April 7) 2019 ceremonies.

"We've got royalty on stage," aptly noted the announcer. Strait chose to perform his latest single, "God and Country Music," which has ties to Las Vegas (he first performed the song live during a December 2018 show in Vegas, as part of his Strait to Vegas residency).

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The rather solemn song — performed simply before a backdrop of green pasture/field scenes — threw a hush over the MGM Grand Arena, but it would be forgiven if fans might have expected Strait to bring out a special guest. The recorded single features Strait's 6-year-old grandson, Harvey, on vocals, but, alas, little Harvey was nowhere in sight (Hey, it was a school night, after all).

That said, although it's a bit of a disappointment Harvey didn't show his sweet face, Strait's consistently solid approach to traditional country had the audience in his sway.

The song is from his studio album titled Honky Tonk Time Machine, which dropped March 29. Strait performed a total of 3 times during the 2019 ACM Awards, closing the show with another song from his 2019 new album, Honky Tonk Time Machine.

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